A short presentation by Arvid & Sascha

Structure  Short information  Map of different religions  Cause and effect : Karma  Samsara – circle of life  Reincarnation  Dharma  Bhodi  Nirvana  World-view

 millions of followers  China, Bhutan, Japan, Kambodscha, Laos, Mongolei  Foundation in Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, which had been living in North-India

 Karma (Sanskrit: karman ; Pali : kamma = deed, operation) is a spiritual concept whereby every action( physical and mental) has inevitably a consequence  can concern the current life as well as the lives after it  closely connected to Samsara, which is belief in the cycle of new births  every act and mental activity produces Karma and further ensnarements  Buddhists try to stop the production of Karma to interrupt the circular flow  the three ways to a positive Karma : modesty, goodness, understanding

 A continuous circle of life, death, rebirth  Target: break out of this circle

 Reincarnation (Pali : Punabbhava) means new birth, was already known in the Indian philosophie before Buddha's appearance  Buddha denied the idea of the “self” (Sanskrit : atman ; Pali : atta), presented it as an illusion of the character of the world  personality evolves from five acquisition groups : body, perception, apperception, mental inspiration, consciousness  no constant unit => no rebirth as such  impulse emerging from the Karma

 Dharma has two different meanings  Basis of the „Dharma“ are the four noble truths.  These truths are building one of the three jewels and serve for a „resort object“  The common ground of all phenomenon which are earthly ( nature and their legality )

 Bodhi is the process of the awakening, the enlightenment  Requirements:  the comprehension of the four noble thruths  The overcoming of all needs which are requiered for life  Bodhi affords the breakthrough of Samsara and getting the Nirvana

 Target: leaving Samsara  You can‘t describe Nirvana with words, it can just be experienced through methods like meditation and awareness  Nirvana describes the end-state, no rebirth in another sphere  State of statelessness

 religion, but also philosophie  no exclusion of other religions/world-views  important aspects : Karma doctrine, the four noble verities of Buddha  contradictory to most other religions  much different interpretations of Buddhism  religion as definition sometimes insufficient